British soldiers in Afghanistan are engaged in fighting that is more intense and prolonged than any other conflict during the past 50 years, the British commander of all foreign troops in Afghanistan warned yesterday. Some British soldiers will be withdrawn from the dangerous region of southern Afghanistan where they have engaged in a series of bloody battles with Taliban fighters, Lieutenant General David Richards told the BBC. He said the British soldiers would be replaced by Afghans. "This sort of thing hasn't really happened so consistently, I don't think, since the Korean war or the second world war," Gen Richards, Nato's commander in Afghanistan said. "It happened for periods in the Falklands, obviously, and it happened for short periods in the Gulf on both occasions. But this is persistent low-level dirty fighting." As a result, British soldiers were enduring "days and days of intense fighting, being woken up by yet another attack, and they haven't slept for 24 hours", ... http://www.guardian.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 09:14:00 08-11-06 |
BP mulls Alaska oilfield future |
BP is to decide early next week whether to proceed with plans to fully shut the Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Alaska, which accounts for 8% of US production. The eastern half of the site has been shut after corrosion was found in pipes following a small spillage. BP has been told by the US government that there is no need to close the western portion of the giant plant. The governor of Alaska has questioned whether the firm misled it over maintenance checks on its pipes. A BP spokesman said it was "pleased" that the Department of Transport was "not aware of any data concerning the current condition of the pipe in the western operating area that it believes would necessitate an immediate shutdown of operations on the line". The company agreed to a government demand that it carry out rigorous daily checks on the pipelines it kept open. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4782903.stm
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Editor - 09:08:00 08-11-06 |
Moderate Earthquake Rocks Mexico City |
A moderate earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday, causing skyscrapers to sway and frightening residents. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Service estimated the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered in Michoacan, 125 miles southwest of the capital. There were no initial reports of major damage in the city, and electric and telephone service were not interrupted. Hundreds of Mexico City residents ran into the streets when the quake hit. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6009090,00.html
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Editor - 09:06:00 08-11-06 |
Illinois Police Sergeant Accused of Raping 4 Women Pleads Not Guilty |
A police sergeant pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he raped four women in this central Illinois college town, some of them multiple times. Sgt. Jeff Pelo, a 17-year veteran of the Bloomington Police Department, wore a blue jail jumpsuit and was flanked by sheriff's deputies during the brief hearing. He signed "I love you" to his wife before leaving court. The alleged assaults started in 2002. In the last, in January 2005, Pelo is accused of raping the woman twice and repeatedly assaulting her. A McLean County grand jury indicted him on 35 counts including aggravated criminal sexual assault, intimidation, residential burglary, home invasion and aggravated unlawful restraint. The assailant used a knife in one attack and a gun in another, and prosecutors say he threatened to harm the family of the last accuser if she contacted police. If convicted, prosecutors said Pelo could spend the rest of his life in prison. ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2301616
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Editor - 09:04:00 08-11-06 |
Winds of change may sweep few exiles back to Cuba |
A lot more than the treacherous Florida Straits separates Miami's Cuban exiles from their homeland just 90 miles off the southern tip of Florida. But the handover of power by ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has many thinking about change on the communist-ruled island and the day, perhaps soon, when barriers between Cubans and staunchly anti-Castro Cuban Americans may finally come tumbling down. "In the long run it's going to be impossible to separate South Florida from Cuba, the links are too strong," said Anthony Maingot, a Caribbean expert and sociology professor at Florida International University. "I have absolutely no doubt that Cubans will go back," said Maingot, predicting many exiles would return to Cuba to live after Castro's long rule comes to an end. ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2301604
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Editor - 09:02:00 08-11-06 |
Israel Giving Up On UN Cease-Fire Deal PM Olmert Tells Military To Launch A Wider Ground Action In Lebanon |
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is dissatisfied with the direction the United Nations cease-fire resolution appears to be taking, and has told his defense minister to start preparing for a wider ground offensive, Israeli defense officials said. Israeli officials say Olmert is angry about last minute changes in the text which weaken the mandate of an international force, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. Israeli troops have been ordered to push to the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israel border, and expel Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Israeli jets and artillery pounded Hezbollah positions earlier Friday in an attempt to gain command of strategic high ground and disrupt guerrilla rocket attacks across the border. In far north Lebanon, Israeli jets blasted a key bridge to Syria, killing at least 12 people. ... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/11/world/main1884927.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1884927
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Editor - 09:00:00 08-11-06 |
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